Tri-Parish Catholic Churches of Dodge County

PARIS (CNS) -- On the first official papal state visit to France in 18 years, Pope Leo XIV stepped into one of the country's perpetual underlying tensions: the place of religion in a republic whose modern political identity was partly forged through separation from the Catholic Church. 

Throughout the Paris leg of his Sept. 25-28 apostolic journey, Pope Leo argued that France's deeply rooted tradition of secularism, or "laïcité," need not exclude religion from public life. Instead, he said religious institutions and the state can work together in defense of human dignity and the common good.

"An authentic secularity, then, consists not in excluding religion from the public sphere or from education, but in striving to ensure that the state and religious institutions maintain dialogue and join forces in the service of the common good," he told government officials, civil society leaders and the diplomatic corps at the Élysée Palace Sept. 25. 

French President Emmanuel Macron offered a similar interpretation of the country's secular tradition in welcoming the pope at the Élysée Palace. French "laïcité," he said, is "in no way the negation of religion," and guarantees the freedom to believe or not believe both privately and publicly.

He told Pope Leo that his message would appeal "to the conscience of all French people."

Catholicism and the French Republic

The relationship between Catholicism and the French Republic, however, has been marked for centuries by both intimacy and conflict.

Catholicism's historic closeness to the monarchy and political authority in France helped fuel anti-Catholic movements and the push for church-state separation. France's 1905 law formally separated churches and the state, while the country's constitution today defines France as a secular republic that respects all beliefs.

Yet Catholicism remains deeply embedded in French history and culture, said Florian Michel, a historian and theologian at the Sorbonne in Paris.

"You cannot understand this Catholic dimension without also taking the measure of the hostility and the contradictions that have continually confronted this French tradition," Michel told Catholic News Service Sept. 23. 

Those contradictions remain visible. The French state covers costs for maintenance at many historic churches, including Notre-Dame Cathedral, while debates regularly surface over public funding related to religious events and the presence of religious symbols in public life.

Alexandra Maclennan, a religious historian at the University of Caen Normandy, told CNS that debates over Christmas crèches or other religious symbols in public spaces recur regularly.

"Yet, we cannot deny that we are in a deeply Catholic cultural matrix in France, because we see church steeples everywhere," she said in a video interview Sept. 18.

Michel pointed to another example: despite France's strict secular tradition, the French president holds the centuries-old honorary title of canon of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the cathedral of the bishop of Rome.

"There you have it: once again, French-style 'laïcité,' the complexity of history," he said in a video interview.

Growth in adult baptisms

At the same time, the Catholic Church in France is seeing striking growth in the number of people seeking baptism.

More than 13,200 adults were baptized in France in 2026, a 28% increase from the previous year and more than three times the number recorded a decade ago, according to the French bishops' conference. Forty-two percent were between 18 and 25.

Meeting catechumens and newly baptized Catholics at the Institut Catholique de Paris Sept. 26, Pope Leo acknowledged that such growth could appear paradoxical in a society "marked by a deeply secularized culture," but it contradicts the "defeatist attitude" and must be protected as a seed "that strives to grow even amid the thorns."

"Your experience and your testimonies, dear catechumens and newly baptized, are a tangible sign of the action of God's grace, which far surpasses statistical and sociological analysis," he said.

The excitement for the pope's arrival was apparent at the Stade de France, where an estimated 80,000 young people gathered for a prayer vigil with the pope, featuring music, performances on the lives of French saints and fireworks. 

For Guy Bassot, a young adult at the prayer vigil, the Catholic faith is being rediscovered among younger generations and a "fervor is being reborn," in response to a polarizing and isolating time in society with the rise of extreme politics and social media.

"It is a beautiful response for all these young people, because in fact it is a response to an entire system in which we are uprooted, where we are losing an enormous number of reference points everywhere," he told CNS Sept. 25. “And it is something to hold onto, a rock for us, something solid for young people, to propel us forward in life.”

Bassot said that his country's enshrined value of secularism is not the enemy of Catholicism, because together, the country, like a human being, has duality.  

"'Laïcité' is a surface framework for living together, in effect, and it must be respected," he said. "But beyond that, the human person has a deep search for something supernatural, something very great, very powerful. Faith comes in addition to 'laïcité'; it adds another depth."

Addressing the young people, Pope Leo emphasized that a stronger public presence for faith should not mean confrontation.

"Our battle is not a battle against others. It does not employ the weapons of violence, contempt or oppression," he said. "Our only weapon is that of self-giving love."

Ethics, artificial intelligence and education

Throughout his trip, the pope repeatedly pointed to new technology as one area in which religious and ethical voices should contribute to public debate.

At the Élysée Palace, he returned to concerns raised in his encyclical "Magnifica Humanitas," warning that humanity risks becoming conditioned by a "paradise of machines" without education in ethical discernment.

Such discernment, he said, is "indispensable if we are to recognize the genuine good that enables human beings to flourish ... with unconditional respect for their interior freedom and their sacred dignity."

Macron likewise highlighted artificial intelligence in his welcome, saying it was already transforming work, education, research and information. He called the pope's message on AI "essential" and said artificial intelligence must remain "a servant and not a master."

Yet, the pope made it clear that even as technology progresses, there is still an important role for religion in society. 

Pope Leo carried the same argument to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization later Sept. 25, saying technological and scientific development alone cannot answer humanity's deepest questions.

"No education can be considered complete if it fails to address the question of life's meaning," he told representatives of UNESCO.

Religious traditions, he said, have a "culturally necessary and irreplaceable role" because they grapple with questions about the origin and purpose of human life.

Notre-Dame and France’s Catholic inheritance

The unique balancing act between France's secular present and its Catholic inheritance was perhaps most visibly embodied at Notre-Dame Cathedral.

Celebrating vespers there Sept. 25, Pope Leo recalled the fire that devastated the cathedral in 2019 and the response that followed far beyond the Catholic community.

"Notre-Dame is more than a monument," he said. "The collective effort to rebuild it, and the splendor of the result reveal that the heart of a people beats here."

Macron similarly described Notre-Dame in his welcome address as "a part of us," saying the rebuilt cathedral had been returned not only to Catholics but to all French people and the world.

For Maclennan, the cathedral fire was a national trauma that demonstrated how difficult it is to separate Catholicism entirely from French cultural identity. 

"The hardest thing is to secularize people's thinking and people's values," she said.

Michel said a significant part of French identity remains rooted in Catholicism, even as the country's relationship with the church continues to be contested on the political stage.

However, Pope Leo repeatedly pointed out that the search for something deeper and more eternal was an intrinsic part and an almost unstoppable quest of the human person.

"Human beings cannot live without meaning. Meaning is the oxygen of the mind," he had told UNESCO.

Evidence of that was again on display Sept. 26 when enormous crowds, estimated at more than 700,000, filled the Place de la Concorde and stretched along the 1.2-mile Avenue of Champs-Élysées for Pope Leo's final Mass in Paris.

In his homily, the pope reassured the faithful that the search for God, truth and meaning still had a place in contemporary France.

"You long to rediscover a horizon filled with light and to build a renewed nation upon roots nourished by faith," he said. "You are called to bring hope wherever discouragement and spiritual dryness prevail."
 

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Progress in science and technology is not contrary to belief in God, and Christians should be actively involved in shaping that progress so that it serves human dignity and the common good, Pope Leo XIV said.

At his Sept. 23 general audience, the pope also pointed to Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen, who is set to be beatified Sept. 24 in St. Louis, as an example of a Catholic who embraced the technology of his time to spread the Gospel.

Continuing his series on documents of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Leo reflected on the council's conciliar constitution "Gaudium et Spes," particularly its teaching on human activity and progress in the world.

Created in the image and likeness of God, the human being is an agent of progress, the pope said, using freedom and intelligence to increase knowledge and advance society.

Yet as scientific and technological achievements multiplied, he said, some thinkers began portraying God and humanity as "rivals: in order to assert his knowledge, his freedom and his progress, man is thought to have to emancipate himself from God."

Pope Leo called that view erroneous and quoted the late theologian, Jesuit Father Henri de Lubac, who described it as the "tragedy of atheistic humanism."

"Ultimately, however, by denying the relationship with God, one also loses the possibility of affirming the transcendent value of the human person," the pope said.

Quoting the conciliar constitution, he said Christians instead believe "that the triumphs of the human race are a sign of God's grace and the flowering of His own mysterious design."

Human achievement, therefore, should not draw the faithful away from involvement in scientific, technological or social progress, the pope said. Rather, the Gospel calls them to participate in building society while keeping such progress oriented toward human flourishing.

"Let us carry out our daily activities with true charity, offering our work to the Lord both as a means for personal sanctification and as an expression of our desire ever more fully to bring about God's kingdom, especially through pursuing the common good, caring for the needy and defending human dignity," he told English-speaking pilgrims.

Humanity's freedom and activity are not absorbed or nullified by an encounter with God, Pope Leo said. Instead, humanity finds its fullest truth and freedom in Christ.

"From this perspective, an important truth emerges: to encounter God, the human being must not abandon his earthly occupations, but can live his vocation fully, carrying out his daily work well and sanctifying it," he said.

Christians, he said, should therefore participate fully in society's progress while reminding others of its "ultimate purpose."

Pope Leo's catechesis echoes his recent encyclical "Magnifica Humanitas," in which he addressed the development of artificial intelligence and stressed that technological advances must remain at the service of human dignity.

Authentic human progress, the pope said at the general audience, "must be inspired and guided by charity" and improve the lives of all people, particularly those who are disadvantaged.

"Dear brothers and sisters, the Second Vatican Council invites us to share the bread of knowledge and know-how, so that every person and every people may develop their potential, and together, with God's help, we may build a better future," he said.

Mentioning the upcoming beatification of Archbishop Sheen in his greeting to English-speaking pilgrims, Pope Leo recalled the American prelate's innovative use of radio and television for evangelization.

"May the example and intercession of this holy bishop, known for his evangelizing work through the media, inspire many others likewise to find new ways of spreading the Gospel message with joyful enthusiasm," he said.

ROME (CNS) -- Led by their priests, Catholics need to come together and face the truth about what their local church is doing and why, Pope Leo XIV told clergy and laypeople in his diocese.

This process of discernment and "pastoral evaluation does not ask you to do more; on the contrary, it gives you permission to do less -- and to do it better," the pope, who is bishop of Rome, said to applause.

Pope Leo addressed hundreds of diocesan leaders, both clergy and laity, during a diocesan assembly Sept. 18 at the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome. The leaders represented the 334 parishes and their ministries in a diocese that covers 340 square miles.

The pope first listened to a young woman, a couple and a member of the diocese's Caritas team as they recounted the various joys and challenges they face in their lives and work. 

Speaking in Italian, Pope Leo thanked everyone for their faith, service and dedication, saying to applause, "The good doesn't make any noise; the Lord knows it, and today I, too, wish to acknowledge it."

The diocese's extensive work on discerning its "'spiritual illnesses' has taught us to recognize what, in our ecclesial life, needs to be healed, corrected or transformed," he said, referring to a diocesan report that was formally delivered to Pope Francis in 2018. The late pope then asked the diocesan leaders to respond to their findings with a multiyear process that would lead to pastoral action that is "more responsive to the mission and needs of Romans today, but also more creative and liberating for priests and those who directly collaborate in their mission and in the building up of the Christian community."

Pope Leo picked up on his predecessor's call, adding that the ongoing synodal process has also "taught us how to listen and discern together, as co-responsible for the one mission."

Therefore, he said, "We are not starting from scratch, and nothing we have experienced should be set aside." Also, "I urge you not to bear these struggles alone," as serving the faithful and larger community is more challenging than ever.

"I am not presenting you with a new pastoral program," he said; rather, Pope Leo proposed a journey or "method" of verification and "pastoral evaluation," which, if it were ever "to become yet another burden," then it would be failing "its very purpose." 

A method for evaluating pastoral work

The method entails "seeking the truth," he said, by "recognizing what has borne fruit, understanding what did not work and seeking the reasons for this together" with the entire church community and "by also listening to people who do not attend (church) and who see things, so to speak, 'from the outside.'"

It involves reflecting together and asking "Why" for everything they do, he said. "Why are we doing it? What evangelical intention motivates us? What real need are we seeking to address? How does this choice align with the Church's mission?"

Then, he said, they must ask, "Why do we achieve these results and not others? Why do some initiatives foster growth while others remain isolated? Why do some people participate while others remain on the sidelines?"

Discerning the reasons for their choices and the reasons for how those choices turned out will allow "us to recognize what should be maintained, valued, corrected, abandoned or initiated," the pope said.

What four priorities should guide the process?

Pope Leo said their method of discernment should focus on four priorities or goals by asking:

-- Does this truly lead to Christ and help others encounter him in their real lives?

-- Does this build new, free and reconciled communities made up of authentic relationships where people feel "welcomed, accompanied, valued, and jointly responsible?"

-- Does this truly serve the city of Rome, sharing in people's hopes, vulnerabilities and questions, recognizing the questions to which the Gospel can respond?

-- How well does this form the people of God, fostering growth in the faith, maturing into missionary disciples with a sense of co-responsibility and capable of translating it "into concrete choices in life and service?"

There will be different "stages" to walk together, the pope said, "not just for a year, but on a journey -- so that it may be true discernment and not just another initiative added to the rest."

The pope "is not asking you to plan new activities: he is proposing a common method of listening, discernment, evaluation and conversion" within the five areas of catechesis and Christian initiation, youth, the family, charity and vocations, he said, so that leadership meetings can "become, more and more, places of encounter, dialogue, and shared pastoral planning."

What role should priests and laypeople have?

Pope Leo also offered his reflections on the kind of priests the Diocese of Rome needs.

"A priest should be a man who listens before responding, who discerns before deciding. A person who remains in the presence of the Lord, because he cannot lead others to an encounter that he himself is not experiencing," he said. "Why am I a priest? Does my daily life still correspond to the reason why the Lord called me by name?"

The priest also does not assign all responsibilities to himself, but "recognizes charisms, forms consciences and enables the shared responsibility of the laity -- not because of a lack of manpower, but out of fidelity to the nature of the Church."

"A community in which everything depends on the priest is a fragile community, and presiding over does not mean doing everything," he said. "It means fostering communion, valuing the vitality of others, connecting people and situations, and safeguarding unity."

Pope announces a new sainthood cause 

"A method, on its own, has never converted anyone," Pope Leo said, declaring that to provide concrete inspiration, he had "joyfully approved the decision to take the necessary steps to initiate the diocesan inquiry into the life, virtues, and reputation for holiness of Msgr. Luigi Di Liegro," who founded the diocesan Caritas.

The monsignor, who died just shy of 69 years of age in 1997, believed one had to "see" reality on the ground before building anything, Pope Leo said.

Msgr. Di Liegro often took an analytical approach to social problems to address their root causes, such as helping people before they became homeless. "Poverty in the city was often the result of squandered money, unbridled consumption and inefficiency," he said in 1992.

Providing something like a soup kitchen was an "act of justice and a sharing of the sufferings and hopes of the city's poor against every temptation to fear the different or the foreigner," he had said.

WASHINGTON – Pope Leo XIV has appointed Most Reverend Brendan J. Cahill, currently Bishop of Victoria in Texas, as the Bishop of Joliet.

The appointment was publicized in Washington, D.C. on September 17, 2026, by Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Bishop Cahill’s biography may be found here.

The Diocese of Joliet is comprised of 4,218 square miles in the State of Illinois. 

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WASHINGTON - Responding to the appeal that Pope Leo XIV made in his encyclical, Magnifica humanitas to ‘build forms of cooperation’ and cultivate a culture of shared responsibility, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Administrative Committee met today with representatives from a variety of tech firms and specialists in the area of Artificial Intelligence (AI). 

The following statement was issued through the Conference spokesperson, Chieko Noguchi, executive director of public affairs:

“The dialogue focused on ways to keep any system of Artificial Intelligence at the service of humanity and the urgent need to address the real and present dangers such technology present. Recent events have only emphasized the great need for action by everyone involved. The bishops expressed hope that such conversations will help to identify ways the Church can contribute to the moral foundation of AI models and steps the companies can take to protect against misuse of their inventions and to guarantee human oversight of the technology. The discussion also focused on how the Church and industry can work together toward the goal of ensuring that technology is used in ways that keep it human-centered, respecting the dignity of each person, and benefiting all -- poor and rich alike.”

Two immediate steps were taken by the Administrative Committee. First is the creation of a Bishops’ Task Force on Preserving Human Dignity in the Age of Artificial Intelligence with Bishop Oscar Cantù of San Jose as its chairman. The membership of the task force has not yet been determined, but the group will focus on promoting policies and practices that protect human dignity, religious liberty, democratic institutions, workers, families, and vulnerable populations. Second is that at the conclusion of the Administrative Committee, over a dozen of the bishops went to Capitol Hill to meet with members of Congress urging for the enactment of meaningful safety guardrails on Artificial Intelligence and to support legislation to protect children online. 

The Administrative Committee is led by the president of the Conference and is comprised of the USCCB’s officers, chairmen of the Conference’s standing committees, as well as a representative from each episcopal region of the United States. The committee operates as the board of directors of the Conference.

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WASHINGTON – The Catholic Church in the United States will observe National Migration Week beginning September 21 and culminating with the 112th World Day of Migrants and Refugees on September 27. 

For over 45 years, the U.S. Catholic Church has celebrated National Migration Week (NMW) by reflecting on its history as an immigrant Church and the ways in which the country has been enriched by generations of immigrants, including the many Catholics who have adopted this land as their own. Its connection to the World Day of Migrants and Refugees (WDMR)—which traces its origins to 1914 when Pope Saint Pius X called on all Christians to pray for the growing number of migrants at the time—demonstrates the U.S. Church’s solidarity with the Bishop of Rome and the Universal Church. Pope Leo XIV has chosen “Even just one of these children” as the theme for this year’s WDMR, which will also be the theme for NMW. 

In his message for this year’s WDMR, reflecting on Matthew’s Gospel, the Holy Father observed how even one child calls each of us “to open our eyes and heart to a profound listening to his or her story, fears and dreams, overcoming that detachment which reduces the human person to a statistic that does not directly concern us.” At the same time, he underscored the need to safeguard their fundamental rights, among them the rights to life and full development.

Ahead of NMW, Bishop Brendan J. Cahill, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration, stated:

“Our Church in this country and beyond has a long, inspiring history of caring for migrant and refugee children—from the days of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini and her sisters sheltering many orphaned immigrant children when few others looked their way to today’s diocesan charities providing them and their families with vital support. We owe much gratitude to the law enforcement officers, social workers, pastoral staff, and caregivers who dedicate themselves to their safety and well-being. As we see protections for this population being undermined in various ways, including prolonged stays in detention and decreased access to legal representation, we urge governments and communities to ensure a high level of care rooted in their God-given human dignity. This requires promoting family unity and reunification whenever possible.” 

Amid heightened social tensions regarding immigration, Catholics across the country are invited to reflect on how our faith is calling us to respond to this most vulnerable group within the context of migration. Catholic dioceses, parishes, schools, and organizations nationwide are encouraged to mark this observance with prayer, educational programs, pastoral outreach, and support for migration-related ministries. 

More information and resources, including details about an upcoming WDMR-themed webinar on September 23, can be found at usccb.org/nmw. 

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In a world of increasing technological dependence and polarization, Pope Leo XIV said there is greater urgency for humanity to see itself as a single "human community."

"The perfection of the human person and the development of society must be regarded as closely interdependent: to set them against one another or separate them would be to render them meaningless," the pope said during his Sept. 16 weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square.

As artificial intelligence opens up new possibilities, it also comes with risks as relationships become more virtual and less personal, Pope Leo said, continuing his series of reflections on the Second Vatican Council's pastoral constitution "Gaudium et Spes."

The constitution highlights human interdependence and the need for mutual respect, he said, and invites people to draw strength from God's plan that all people "constitute one family and treat one another in a spirit of brotherhood."

That is why, he said, "love for God and neighbor is the first and greatest commandment."

Pope Leo warned that as artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into society, there is a risk of people becoming accustomed to "delegating to algorithms decisions that are the sole preserve of the human conscience."

To build a more humane and just world, he said, people must move beyond an "individualistic mindset" and invest in human relationships with substance and depth. Diversity among people and peoples "must not be considered as a danger or a threat, but rather as a resource for enrichment and growth," he said.

"The vision of humanity as a community of persons enables us to work together to seek the common good," the pope said in his remarks to English-speaking pilgrims.

Pope Leo also highlighted the constitution's emphasis on respect for the human person, citing its condemnation of "whatever is opposed to life itself," including murder, genocide, abortion, euthanasia and willful self-destruction, as well as slavery, prostitution, human trafficking and "disgraceful working conditions" in which people are treated as tools for profit.

"This requires taking into account respect for every person, promoting life and avoiding any form that threatens it; respecting even enemies or those who think differently than us; and respecting the dignity that each person possesses, without discriminating against anyone, which is embodied in social justice," the pope said in his remarks to Spanish-speaking pilgrims.

The Second Vatican Council document also emphasizes the "fundamental equality of all human beings," he said, and calls for every form of discrimination to be overcome.

"For the future of humanity depends on each person's commitment to collaborate with God and with their brothers and sisters in building a more humane world," Pope Leo said.

WASHINGTON - Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of the Most Reverend Francis I. Malone, 76, from the pastoral governance of the Diocese of Shreveport. At the same time, he has appointed Most Reverend Robert W. Marshall of Alexandria, as the Apostolic Administrator of the Diocese of Shreveport to serve until the appointment and installation of the new bishop.

The resignation and appointment were publicized in Washington, D.C. on September 15, 2026, by Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, apostolic nuncio to the United States. 

The Diocese of Shreveport is in the State of Louisiana.

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WASHINGTON – Pope Leo XIV has appointed Most Reverend Michael A. Saporito, currently Auxiliary Bishop of Newark, as the Bishop of Metuchen.

The appointment was publicized in Washington, D.C. on September 15, 2026, by Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Bishop Saporito’s biography may be found here.

The Diocese of Metuchen is comprised of 1,425 square miles in the State of New Jersey. 

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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Everyone needs to feel there is room for them in their bishop's heart, Pope Leo XIV said.

"Love the people that the Lord has entrusted to you" and boldly bring the Good News of salvation to everyone, the pope told about 147 bishops from five continents attending a course for bishops ordained in the past year.

"We live in an era of rapid change," the pope told them Sept. 10 in the Vatican Synod Hall. "Advances in communication technologies and artificial intelligence have opened up possibilities," but "they certainly cannot free humanity from sin and its consequences: the crises we are currently facing tragically demonstrate this."

Nonetheless, the Church celebrated the Jubilee of Hope last year, not because she "lives apart from the world" but because "she is sent by Christ, who died and rose again, to proclaim the Gospel of salvation to all," he said.

"We bishops are the first recipients of this mandate," Pope Leo, who, as pope, is also the Bishop of Rome, said, and his encyclical "Magnifica Humanitas" is meant to be "a vision and a method for addressing the great challenge of safeguarding humanity in the age of artificial intelligence."

"I encourage you to promote paths of reflection and dialogue in your dioceses, to form and support those who wish to commit themselves to the service of the civilization of love," he added. 

Pope Leo told the new bishops that their week of meetings and talks with one another and Vatican officials should help them understand that "no bishop walks alone."

"Know that you are in my prayers, along with your churches: the priests, deacons, men and women in consecrated life, seminarians, families, young people, the elderly, the poor, those who suffer, and those who are still waiting to encounter the joy of the Gospel," he said.

"Everyone must find a place in the bishop's heart," he said, because Christ already has a place in his heart for everyone.

Reflecting on the theme of bishops as servants of communion in the Church and in today's world, Pope Leo told them that their most important responsibility is to "remain with Jesus."

"We are bishops, but we are first and foremost disciples. To speak of Him, we need to be with Him; to lead His people, we must allow ourselves to be guided by Him every day, every single day," he said. "Let us never forget this."

Also, the pope said, cherish that time of being with the Lord in the Eucharist, the Word of God, prayer and during any moment "when you can be in His presence with the simple heart of a disciple who allows himself to be loved by his Lord."

"Our ministry springs from there. And when the heart remains close to Him, our service also becomes more serene, more free and more fruitful," Pope Leo said. 

Jesus said the Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep, the pope said. What that means for a bishop is "to learn more and more each day to love his people: to know their joys and sorrows, to share in their dreams and to rejoice in seeing their communities grow." 

By meeting and ministering to everyone, he said, "you will discover more and more how beautiful the people of God are."

"Learn their names, listen to their stories, visit their homes whenever you can, and pray with them. Especially in young churches, the bishop's presence often speaks volumes, even before his words," he said. "A visit, a blessing, time spent with a priest, listening to a family, a conversation with a young person: these are small gestures, but they can remain in a person's heart for a lifetime."

"Episcopal fatherhood," Pope Leo said, is "having a heart large enough to make room for everyone, carrying one's children within oneself and presenting them to the Lord in prayer every day."

"Our preaching is an act of love, as are listening, prayer, discernment, the time we give to people and our very presence," he said. "It is pastoral charity that allows Christ the Shepherd to reach the people He loves through our humble selves."

"May people feel, through our presence, something of God's tenderness and fatherhood!" the pope said.

"Dear brothers, as you return to your churches, take this certainty with you: the Lord, who has called you, is faithful," Pope Leo said. "He will go before you on the road, accompany you on your journey, and, through the gift of his Holy Spirit, enlighten you every day. And may Mary, Mother of the Church, always watch over you and the people entrusted to your care."